Chelsea Bank: Scans and Workplace Knowledge

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which student groups working with the Chelsea Bank computer simulation were able to use school-to-work transition skills. Chelsea Bank is a workplace simulation for schools in which groups of students at a computer play the role of a bank teller or customer service representative, dealing with customers who appear on their screen. Data consists of videos of students working on the simulation scenarios. Results show that students using this simulation demonstrated substantial involvement with workplace skills as defined by SCANS (U.S. Department of Labor's Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills). Students were also considerably more actively engaged with learning than students in studies of traditional classrooms.